Device for centering articles on operating tables of sealing machines



y 5 937- F. O. CHORLTON 2,086,065

DEVICE FOR CENTERING ARTICLES 0N OPERATING TABLES OF SEALING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5, 1934 J90 v Z714 A24 40/ V Jan Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STA'E'ES PATENT OFFICE CHINESV Frank Oscar Levi Chorlton, Bury, England Application December; 5, 1934, Serial No. 756,166 In Great Britain December 14, 1933 15 Claims.

In many processes aseries of like articles are fed by hand or automatically to an operating table on which they are subjected to operations before which it is necessary that they should be accurately centered in relation to the operating means, and the present invention is particularly applicable to those cases in which the articles are bottles or containers, and in which said operation is the sealing thereof by the fitting of caps or lids thereto.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in medial section, showing the general arrangement of the machine.

Fig. 2 a fragmentary portion of Fig. 1 to an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 3 a plan view corresponding with Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modification. Y 1

Fig. 5 is an elevation, and Figs. 6 and 7 are part plan views showing modifications in the mode of operation of the centering members. 7

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3;-A is themain frame of the machine; B the driving shaft jour nalled over the top of the machine in bearings carried in the casings E and F, and driven in any suitable manner from the pulley bl. ,The shaft B is connected preferably by spiral wheels to the vertical spindle driving the seaming head 0 at a continuous and comparatively high speed; the seaming rollers 05 are rendered operative by vertical movement imparted to a cam 06, the vertical movement of which is adapted to give the necessary inward radial movement to the seaming rollers 05 to efiect the seaming ofthe lid on the can J in any suitable and well known manner.

The cam 04 has a circumferential groove with which engages segmental pieces e12 pivotally connected to a double lever all connected to the transmission member 03 guided to slide horizontally in the fixed guide 04 and having a pin 02 engaging the groove in the face of the cam cl driven by the cam shaft D.

The cam shaft D is driven from the shaft B by speed reducing gear enclosed in the'casing F, said gear comprising a slipping clutch andbeing arranged as described in my concurrent patent application Serial No. 756,165. The cam shaft D also carries a cam gl engaging a roller 92 on the transmission member 93 guided in the fixed guide g4, said transmission member being connected by a link gill to one arm of a bellcrank lever g5, the other arm of which is connected by a rod g6 to one end of a lever g'l pivotally connected to the upper ends of the links g8, the lower ends of which are fixed to the casing E; the other end of the lever g! is adjustably pivotally con nected to a rod G, which passes into the casing E and is employed, as described in my said concurrent application, for the purpose of releasing any of the cans which may have become jammed in the seaming mechanism.

P is a rising and falling table having ahollow shank pi2 guided in the fixed bracket p22, to which table the cans J, with the heads preferably clenched in position thereon, are delivered when the table is in its lower position; the table is then raised so as to bring the lid and upper end of the can into proper vertical relationshipwith the seaming rollers.

It is necessary before the cans come into opera- In the arrangement illustrated in Figsfl to 3 advantage is taken of the fact that, before each seaming operation, the table has to be raised; the operation of the centering means is therefore, in this case, effected by the vertical movement of the table'relatively to a member tl the vertical movement of which is limited. V

Means for raising and lowering the table. are as follows:.The cam pl mounted on the shaft D actuates the pin 192 on the transmission member p3, the latter being guided in a fixed guide pt, and having at its opposite end a roller 1 5 which engages the arm p6 of a bellcrank lever fulcrumed at pl in fixed bracket; the other and bowed arm p8 of the bellcrank ispivotally duced in diameter at ilil, downward movement,

of ti and till being limited by an adjustable stop M2; the lower end of the portion 13! is screwthreaded so that the convolutions of theupper end of a tension spring tl3 can be screwed on connected to a split, ring 1120 engaging a groove formed in a flange p2! at the lowerend ofthe hollow shank p12 of the table. A spring 4023 to the part tl and so held against displacement relatively to tl a sleeve tll is similarly screwthreaded so that the convolutions at the lower end of the spring fit these screw-threads; the tension of the spring may be regulated by axial adjustment of the sleeve ill in the fixed bracket t2 by means of the locknuts ti l.

The upper end of ii is grooved so as to form projections H5 which constitute a circular rack (see Fig. 2), the teeth of which have a suitable profile to engage with corresponding teeth formed on the segmental portions tit of centering members T pivoted at ill to lugs p24 formed on the underside of the table P; the upper ends T forming the centering members adapted to centre the can on the table P. The table is preferably slotted as at p25 to house the arms of centering members T and to form stops to limit the inward movement of the members T; and the sleeve portion of the table shank pIZ is slotted as at H8 to accommodate the segmental arms tlfi of the centering members T.

The action is as follows:

Assuming the can J to have been placed on the table P either by hand or by any suitable conveyor means operated from the cam shaft D and adapted to deliver the cans on to the table, approximately in their central position, before the table commences its upward movement by the operation of the cam pl;it will be seen that as soon as the table moves upwardly frictional resistance between the part ti and the bore of p12, and the friction of the segmental arms H6 and the rack teeth H5 will tend to raise the sliding member tl-ilfl, with the table, which movement, however,will be resisted by the spring 1513, the tension of which is so adjusted that before the can is brought into operative relationship with the beading head the relative movement between thetable P and the member t! will be such as to turn the centering members T inwardly about their axes til, to the position in which they engage with the bottoms of the recesses 1025. In moving into this position the circular faces of the centering members engage the can (assumed to be cylindrical), and move the can so that its axis is concentric with that of the heading head, and firmly hold the can in this central position.

When the beading operation is completed the table is lowered by the action of the spring p23 and the cam pi, the member titlil descending with the table until the lower end of H engages the adjustable stop H2, after which the table moves vertically downwardly relatively to ti, and as a result of the engagement with the rack H of the teeth of the section H6 of the centering members T, the latter are moved so as to be in position to receive the next can to be centred.

The use of a spring such as US to retard the upward movement of the member ti as the table ascends has been found convenient and effective, but obviously any other suitable yielding retarding movement may be employed; for example, a frictional retarding force may be employed, as shown in Fig. 4.

In this modification a bracket tZil is fixed to the frame A, the bracket has a bore adapted to operate the centering members T as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3. Approximately one half of the bracket bore is formed in the bracket t2ll, and the other half in the cap t2l, an elastic packing :22 being interposed between the cap and the bore so that by tightening the screws t23 the friction resisting the sliding movement of ti relatively to 7526 may be adjusted.

The frictional resistance is made sufficient to ensure, as the table rises, that the relative movement between the part if! and the table P is retarded sufiiciently to operate the centering devices T, but not sufficiently to prevent, when this movement has been accomplished, the part tl rising with the table upon further movement of the table. When the table descends after the seaming has been accomplished the frictional resistance between t! and the bore of 1520 retards ti and causes the member T to open to the full limit, after this downward movement of ti continues until the lower end of till engages with the adjustable stop it when said movement is positively arrested.

The centering means may be mounted slidably on the table and be moved inwardly by any suitable means operated by relative movement between the table and the actuating part.

' In Fig. 5, T4 are the two vertically disposed centering members, made respectively integral with twoblocks r53 sliding in recessed portions of a table P4 actuated by the rod p53; each block carries pairs of pins :54 engaging oblique slots i 52 formed in oppositely located lugs t5! fixed to the actuating member t56, fitted with spring or friction devices as described.

In a modification shown in plan at Fig. 6, blocks pBl and integral centering members T2 fitted to the table (as in the arrangement described in connection with Fig. 5) have pairs of pins Z35 laterally disposed, to which the upper ends of toggle links :34 are pivoted; the lower ends of the links being pivoted to centrally disposed pins 1538 connected to the actuating part. When the table rises relatively to the actuating part the links act as toggles to pull the centering members radially inwardly.

Instead of connecting centering means com prising pivoted bell crank levers to the actuating part as shown in Fig. 2, bell crank levers having vertical arms T3 as shown in Fig. '7 may be piv-- oted by pins 1540 to the table P3, their horizontal arms being connected by links M2 to pins on the actuating part.

The engaging jaws of the centering members may be shaped as shown at Fig. 6, to take square cans, bottles or the like; or they may be shaped as shown at Fig. 7 to take cylindrical bottles, cans or the like.

Having now fully described my invention I declare that what I claim is:

1. In machines for sealing containers in combination;-a movable table; sealing means comprising a mechanism for raising the table at each sealing operation; centering members; an actuating part for said centering members consisting of a rod concentrically and movably mounted rels atively to the table and the lower end of which is connected by an adjustable tension spring to a fixed point; and means connecting the upper end of the said rod to the centering members.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the centering members are bellcrank levers having horizontal arms which are provided with toothed quadrants, and in which a rack is formed on the actuating member with which the teeth of the said quadrants engage.

3. In machines for sealing containers in combination;a movable table; means for sealing the containers comprising a mechanism for raising the table at each sealing operation; centering members; an actuating member for said centering means comprising a rod concentrically guided relatively to the table and having a part extending below the table; a fixed part provided with means adapted to. engage the part of the actu ating member extending below the table with an adjustable frictional grip; and meansconnecting the upper end of the said rod to the centering means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim'S, in which the centering members are bellcrank levers hav ing vertical arms which form centering jaws, and having horizontal arms which are provided with toothed quadrants, and in which a rack is formed on the actuating member with which the said teeth of the said quadrants engage.

5. A container centering device for machines for sealing containers, in combination;a table onto which containers to be sealed are delivered in succession approximately into a position in alignment with th axis of the means by which they are sealed; means to move the table after each container has been delivered onto it, in the direction of the said axis towards the sealing means; sealing means for sealing the closures on the containers when the latter are in alignment with the said axis; centering members mounted on the table capable of limited movement in a radial direction, and having jaws which, as they move inwardly engage the container, and centre it; a member for actuating the said centering members connected to the centering members and capable of limited axial movement relatively to the table; yielding means which as the table moves towards the sealing means hold said actuating member against movement towards the sealing means until the centering members have been actuated by the actuating member.

6. A container centering device for machines for sealing containers, in combination;-a table onto which containers to be sealed are delivered in succession approximately into a position in alignment with the axis of the means by which they are sealed; means to move the table after.

each container has been delivered onto it, in the direction of the said axis towards the sealing means; sealing means for sealing the closures on the containers when the latter are in alignment with the said axis; centering members mounted on the table capable of limited movement in a radial direction and having jaws which,'as they move inwardly engage the container and centre it; an actuating member connected to and actuating the centering members. and slidably mounted in the table and capable of limited movement relatively thereto; and yielding means which, as the table moves towards and from the sealing means, hold the actuating member against movement towards and from the sealing means until the centering members have been actuated by the actuating member.

7. A container-centering device constructed as claimed in claim 5, in which the yielding means for restraining the movement of the actuating member, comprises;a spring one end of which is fixed and the other end of which is connected to the actuating member to hold the latter against movement towards the sealing means until the centering means have been actuated by the actuating means.

8. A container-centering device constructed as claimed in claim 6, in which the yielding means for restraining the movement of the actuating member, comprises ;a fixed part frictionally gripping the actuating member and holding it against movement towards and from the sealing means until the centering means have been actuated by the actuating member.

9. A container-centering device constructed as claimed in claim 5, in which the centering devicesv are levers .pivotally mounted on the table and connected to the actuating member.

10. A container-centering device constructed as claimed in claim 5, in which the centering devices are bellcrank levers pivotally mounted on the table each having a vertical arm to engage the container and a horizontal arm having a toothed quadrant fixed thereon; the actuating member having rack teeth to engage the said toothed quadrants.

11. Apparatusas claimed in claim 5, in which the centering means are blocks slidably mounted on the table and capable of radial movement relatively thereto, each carrying a centering jaw, each block being connected" to the actuating member by a pair of toggle links.

12. In machines for sealing containers, in combination;--a sealing head; a table in alignment withth'e sealing head onto which table containers to be sealed are delivered in succession approximately into a position in alignment with the axis of the means by which they are sealed; means for moving the table towards the sealing head; radially movable centering means pivotally carried by the table; a depending hollow shank attached to the table; an actuating member slidable in the said hollow shank; means connecting the actuating member to the centering means, and by which the movement of the actuating member in the said hollow shank is limited; a vertical spiral spring, the upper end of which is connected to the actuating member; a sleeve axially adjustable in a fixed bracket to which sleeve the other end of the spring is connected and by which sleeve the tension of the spring can be varied; a downward extension of the actuating member in the form of a rod passing through the spiral spring and the sleeve; and an adjustable stop with which the rod engages limits the downward movement of the actuating part.

13. In machines for sealing containers, in combination;-a sealing head; a table in alignment with the sealing head; means for moving the table towardsthe sealing head onto which table containers to be sealed are delivered in succession approximately into a position in alignment with the axis of the means by whichthey are sealed; radially movable centering means pivotally carried by the table; a depending hollow shank attached to the table; anactuating member slidable in the said hollow shank; connecting the actuating member to the centering means, and by which the movement of the actuating member in the said hollow shank is limited; a cylindrical extension of the actuating member below the shank; a fixed bracket having a split bearing encircling the said extension; and means for varying the frictional resistance between the said bearing and the said extension; and an adjustable stop for limiting the downward movement of the said extension.

14. A container-centering device constructed as claimed in claim 5, in which the member for actuating the centering members is a rod vertically slidable relatively to the table and the centering members, the upper end of which rod is connected to the centering device and operates the latter when there is relativemovement between the centering device and'the rod, the move- 1 ment of the rod in a downward direction being limited by an adjustable fixed stop, and in which the yielding means comprise a fixed bearing in which the said rod slides, and means for adjusting the frictional resistance to the sliding move- 5 ment of the rod in the said bearing.

FRANK OSCAR LEVI CHORLTON. 

